Supporting ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions: Lessons learned from developing countries

This research paper by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) provides lessons learned from supporting nine developing countries in the preparation of their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) for the UNFCCC. It emphasizes that INDCs should be treated as political statements of ambition rather than purely technical exercises, highlighting the need for inclusive consultation, alignment with national development goals, and clear implementation plans to attract international support.

• INDCs should be viewed as statements of political ambition rather than just technical exercises. While technical data is necessary to build a case for action, political will is required for delivery. Some countries balance ambition and feasibility by submitting two levels of action: unilateral outcomes delivered via existing resources and conditional contributions requiring external financial or technical support.
• Developing countries often find that shorter, high-level INDC documents are easier to approve across multiple ministries and stakeholders than the lengthy National Communications typically submitted to the UNFCCC. For example, Russia's INDC was only three pages and Morocco's was 15 pages. These documents are more likely to include adaptation components and details on the 'means of implementation' (international support) than those from developed countries.
• Effective INDCs build upon existing national policies and data, such as National Communications, Low Emission Development Strategies, and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs). To ensure robustness, countries are encouraged to conduct quality control on existing emissions projections and prioritize filling the most significant technical gaps rather than attempting to address all gaps under tight deadlines.
• Broad-based support is achieved through participatory consultation processes involving government, the private sector, and civil society. Examples include The Gambia's three-level consultations (technical, district, and national) and Peru's multi-sectoral commission representing 11 ministries. Such processes ensure that proposed measures are feasible and aligned with other national policies.
• Implementation planning is essential for the credibility of an INDC and for attracting donor support. This includes establishing institutional structures, such as inter-ministerial arrangements, and implementing monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems to track policy effectiveness and provide accountability to donors.
• There is a strong link between INDCs and national development priorities. Countries can strengthen their submissions by referencing national development plans and the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For instance, Ethiopia used its Climate Resilience and Green Economy Strategy as the basis for its INDC.

APA

Dodwell, C., Holdaway, E., Sura, K., & Picot, H. (2015). Supporting ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions: Lessons learned from developing countries. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CDKN_INDCS_Working_Paper_final_web3.pdf

Chicago

Dodwell, Chris, Emelia Holdaway, Kiran Sura, and Helen Picot. Supporting ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions: Lessons learned from developing countries. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2015. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CDKN_INDCS_Working_Paper_final_web3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dodwell |first1=Chris |last2=Holdaway |first2=Emelia |last3=Sura |first3=Kiran |last4=Picot |first4=Helen |title=Supporting ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions: Lessons learned from developing countries |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=July 2015 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CDKN_INDCS_Working_Paper_final_web3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dodwell2015supporting, author = {Dodwell, Chris and Holdaway, Emelia and Sura, Kiran and Picot, Helen}, title = {{Supporting ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions: Lessons learned from developing countries}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2015}, month = jul, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CDKN_INDCS_Working_Paper_final_web3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }